Coca-Cola: Coupon Pioneers

In today’s world, it is pure, irritating routine to walk to the mailbox and be greeted with a smattering of coupons. But, that wasn’t always the case. When Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton began sending out these coupons for one complimentary glass of the sugary concoction, the practice was anything but common. But, as Wired explains, it certainly seems to have done the trick:

In its first year (1886), the company sold, on average, nine glasses a day. By 1913, Coca-Cola had redeemed 8.5 million “free drink” coupons.